US strikes three Iranian crude oil tankers (VIDEO)

The Pentagon claimed the attacks were a retaliation for Iran allegedly firing missiles towards US Navy ships The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday it has struck three Iranian crude oil tankers, claiming the strikes were launched in retaliation for multiple unsuccessful “unprovoked attacks” on an aircraft carrier and a destroyer.The latest escalation follows a major flare-up in the region that unfolded earlier this week, when the US and Iran exchanged intensive strikes. Washington resumed attacking the Islamic Republic on Tuesday, saying the attacks came in response to alleged Iranian attempts to target commercial shipping and US troops in the region. Tehran retaliated with a missile and drone barrage against US facilities in the Gulf. CENTCOM stated that the three Iranian tankers it targeted are part of “a multibillion-dollar shadow network” that finances Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The targets included two loaded tankers, namely M/T Downy off the Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, which houses Iran’s key oil hub, as well as M/T Kylo off the city of Jask, CENTCOM said. The US forces also “completely destroyed” an empty oil carrier, M/T Kylo, in...